Experience the full flavor of Chinese Barbecue Pork Char Siu with the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill. Infused with rice wine, fermented red bean curd and Chinese 5 spice, this smoky, sweet, salty and savory dish will have your taste buds singing!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Splitting the marinade into two portions before it ever touches raw pork means a full cup stays clean for the glaze, rather than needing a completely separate batch mixed later
- Cutting the pork into 3-inch strips instead of leaving it whole exposes more surface area to the marinade overnight, seasoning the meat more thoroughly than a single large roast would
- Reserving a quarter cup of red pepper honey specifically for the glaze, separate from what goes into the marinade, keeps that final glaze sweeter and more concentrated
- Basting every 30 minutes throughout the cook builds up layers of glaze gradually, rather than relying on one or two applications to coat the meat evenly
Chinese Barbecue Pork Char Siu
Tom Jackson
Rated 3.5 stars by 6 users
Category
Entree
Cuisine
Chinese
Servings
20
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
2 hours 15 minutes
Calories
972
Chef Tom fires up the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill for Chinese Barbecue Pork Char Siu. Smoky, sweet, salty & savory, this one checks all the boxes!
Ingredients
- 5 lb pork butt (or belly)
-
Plowboys BBQ Yardbird Rub
-
1 1/2 cups Kim’s Asian BBQ Sauce
-
1 cup Reida Farm Red Pepper Honey, DIVIDED
- 3/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
- 1/2 cup Fermented Red Bean Curd (tofu cubes & sauce)
- 2 tsp Chinese five spice
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 1/4 cup garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup ginger, minced
For the marinade/glaze:
Directions
- Combine all marinade ingredients in the Vitamix Blender. Add only 3/4 cup of the Reida Farm Red Pepper Honey. Save the remaining 1/4 cup for later. Blend until smooth.
- Reserve one cup of the marinade. Store in the refrigerator. Pour the remaining marinade into an 8 quart Briner Bucket.
- Cut the pork into 3” thick strips and place in the Briner Bucket with the marinade. Let soak overnight.
- Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 350ºF, set up for indirect grilling.
- Remove the pork from the marinade. Wipe off excess marinade from the surface of the pork.
- Season the pork on all sides with Plowboys BBQ Yardbird Rub.
- Roast the pork on the second shelf of the grill for one hour.
After one hour, mix your one cup of reserved marinade with the remaining 1/4 cup of Reida Farm Red Pepper Honey. Whisk well to combine. Using a silicon brush, baste the pork with the glaze.
- Repeat the glazing every 30 minutes until the pork has reached an internal temperature of 195ºF (total cook time: about 2-2.5 hours).
- Remove from the grill. Rest the Char Siu 15 minutes before slicing to serve.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why reserve a cup of the marinade before it ever touches the raw pork?
Setting it aside in the refrigerator before the rest goes into the briner bucket keeps that portion clean and safe to use later as a glaze base, rather than needing to build a second batch from scratch after the pork has already marinated.
Why cut the pork into 3-inch strips instead of marinating it whole?
Strips expose far more surface area to the marinade during the overnight soak, seasoning the meat more thoroughly than a single large roast would in the same amount of time.
Why hold back a quarter cup of red pepper honey for the glaze instead of using it all in the marinade?
Reserving that portion means the final glaze, mixed with the reserved marinade, carries a more concentrated sweetness than if all the honey had already been diluted into the full marinade batch.
Why baste the pork every 30 minutes instead of just once or twice during the cook?
Repeated basting builds up the glaze in layers over the full 2 to 2.5 hours, giving the char siu a deeper, glossier coating than one or two applications would achieve.
What internal temperature should the pork actually reach?
This recipe cooks it until it reaches 195°F, well above the USDA minimum of 145°F for whole-muscle pork. That higher target is what breaks down the pork butt's connective tissue for tender slicing, not a food safety requirement.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
3 out of 5 — a regular oven set to 350°F can roast the marinated pork strips and handle the basting schedule exactly the same way; you'll lose some smoke flavor from the pellet grill.
Recipe Highlights
Split marinade portions: Keeps a clean batch reserved for glazing.
Strip-cut pork: Maximizes surface area for overnight marinating.
Reserved concentrated honey: Sweetens the glaze more than the diluted marinade alone.
Half-hour basting intervals: Builds a deep, glossy glaze over the full cook.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 4 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 972
- Carbs
- 22 grams
- Protein
- 89 grams
- Fat
- 56 grams
- Sodium
- 707 milligrams
